FOOTBALL
'Mr. Raider' dies at 86
Jim Otto, the Hall of Fame center known as Mr. Raider for his durability through a litany of injuries, has died. The team confirmed Otto's death Sunday night. He was 86. The cause of death was not immediately known. Otto joined the Raiders for their inaugural season in the American Football League in 1960 and was a fixture on the team for the next 15 years. He never missed a game because of injuries and competed in 210 consecutive regular-season games and 308 straight total contests despite undergoing nine operations on his knees during his playing career. His right leg was amputated in 2007. Current Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby posted on X, formerly Twitter, that Otto was an "absolute legend & incredible person."
Auburn RB injured in shooting
Auburn running back Brian Battie has been hospitalized following a weekend shooting in Sarasota, Fla., where his brother was killed and three others injured. The Sarasota County Sheriff's office said Tommie Battie IV was pronounced dead at the scene. Four others, who weren't named, were taken to hospitals in Manatee and Sarasota counties. Auburn Coach Hugh Freeze updated Brian Battie's condition in a social media post, saying Battie was still on a ventilator.
MOTOR SPORTS
Herta quick at practice
Colton Herta and Andretti Global showed some speed in the penultimate Indianapolis 500 practice session as cars reverted to race setups after qualifying. Herta spent about half of the penultimate two-hour practice for Sunday's race at the top of the speed chart, ultimately finishing with the second-quickest lap behind Penske's defending race winner, Josef Newgarden. In fact, Herta was so pleased with how his car felt that he began practicing pit stops and ended the session early, rather than logging any more laps. It was a positive development for Honda, which had watched Chevrolet sweep the front row with Team Penske and nail down the first nine spots on the starting grid. The Andretti contingent landed only Kyle Kirkwood among the fastest 12 in qualifying. He will roll off in the middle of the fourth row, while Marco Andretti will start 19th and Marcus Ericsson will be in the middle of the last row. The practice was the last until Friday, when teams get on the track for one last shakedown before Sunday's race. The conditions might be wildly different by then. It was hot and sunny Monday, but cooler temperatures and possibly some rain are due to arrive later in the week.
Griffey to drive pace car
Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. will drive the pace car for the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday. He will be behind the wheel of the 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray. The pace car driver has been a coveted job among athletes, actors and other celebrities since the 1970s, when actor James Garner and singer Marty Robbins handled it. Griffey was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2016 after a 22-year big league career spent mostly with the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds. He will join a celebrity cast at the Indianapolis 500 that includes national anthem singer Jordin Sparks and Phillip Phillips, who will perform "God Bless America." The speedway also plans to announce its honorary starters on Tuesday.
BASKETBALL
Clark, Fever fall to 0-4
Tyasha Harris scored 13 of Connecticut's final 18 points Monday night, including two free throws with 10.9 seconds left, and the Sun kept the Indiana Fever and rookie Caitlin Clark winless through four games with an 88-84 victory. Harris finished with 16 points and 3 three-pointers for the Sun's second win in a week over the Fever and Clark, who returned in the second half after missing the final 5 1/2 minutes of the first half with an apparent left ankle injury. She was injured running into a pick and rolling her ankle. After play was stopped with Clark still down, she grimaced as she hopped up and limped into the tunnel next to the team's bench. She returned after warming up with her teammates to start the second half and finished with 17 points. Alyssa Thomas had 24 points, 13 rebounds and 9 assists -- barely missing her second triple-double against Indiana this season. DeWanna Bonner added 22 points and DiJonai Carrington had 13. Clark opened the fourth quarter with three straight assists and a three-pointer from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse logo to give Indiana a 70-68 lead. Kelsey Mitchell also had 17 points and five assists, while Nalyssa Smith scored 13 points and Temi fa*gbenle added 11 points and 10 rebounds. Aliyah Boston scored 10 points but missed a layup that would have tied the game with 7.4 seconds remaining.
Liberty win 4th straight
Sabrina Ionescu scored 20 points and the New York Liberty beat the Seattle Storm 74-63 on Monday night, improving to 4-0 for the first time in 17 years. Breanna Stewart added 16 points and 11 rebounds for New York, which last won its first four games to start a season in 2007. The Liberty, who are coming off an appearance in the WNBA Finals last season, won their first five contests that year before struggling to a 16-18 mark. Jewell Loyd led Seattle (1-3) with 13 points and nine rebounds. New York led 50-40 midway through the second quarter before scoring the next seven points, including five by Ionescu, to extend the advantage to 17. The Storm trailed by 15 going into the fourth quarter before scoring the first six points to get within nine, but that's as close as they could come. New York ran out to a 27-15 lead after one quarter as Ionescu had six points and five assists in the first 10 minutes. Star forward Nneka Ogwumike, who signed with Seattle as a free agent in the offseason, missed her second consecutive game with an ankle injury.
GOLF
Reed withdraws from qualifier
Patrick Reed's streak of playing in every major since the 2014 Masters is over. Reed withdrew from the U.S. Open qualifier Monday in Dallas. That was the first of 11 qualifiers in North America. The USGA says a player who signs up for a qualifier and pulls out is not eligible to enter another at a later date. Reed plays with LIV Golf, which does not get ranking points. The U.S. Open added 21 players to the field Monday who are ranked in the top 60 in the world. The list includes Justin Rose due to his tie for sixth at the PGA Championship.
